Guardiola’s praise for Amor

Adelaide United’s newly appointed head coach, Guillermo Amor, steps into the role as a former player who enjoyed an incredibly illustrious playing career, lauded and looked-up to by one of world football’s greatest managers – Pep Guardiola.

From his autobiography, My People, My Football, Pep Guardiola wrote of his utter admiration of new Adelaide United head-coach, Guillermo Amor, during their playing days and detailed how Amor optimised the essence of FC Barcelona’s La Masía and was a role model for all.

Writing as if he was speaking directly to Amor, Guardiola wrote, “At the time, when I started to pay attention to everything that you did, I was thirteen years old.”

“I didn’t just follow every on of your games, but also training sessions; I paid attention to your attitude because you faced everyone as if your life depended on it.

“I used to have my practical football lessons at 7 pm on an adjacent pitch; but I used to turn up two hours earlier, so I could listen in on the theory class on pitch number 1: seeing how you carried yourself, how you encouraged your team-mates, how you asked for the ball, how you listened and how you earned the respect of everyone around you.

“I pay tribute to you today for every one of those moments you gave us back at La Masía on pitch number 1, during mealtimes, in the dressing room, throughout the holidays, away at hotels and even on television.”

Additionally, in a biography written about Guardiola, Pep Guardiola: another way of winning, it speaks of how influential Amor was in shaping Guardiola’s career, stating:

“…Amor, who embodied all the values instilled in players at the club (FC Barcelona) right through to the first team, became like a big brother to Pep, who intuitively understood that the club is not only about the bricks and mortar of the stadium or training facility, but mostly about the footballing DNA shared by Guillermo and others like him.”

Amor, who is four years older than Guardiola, was at Barcelona for 18 years, including his youth career at La Masía. According to the FC Barcelona website, Amor is one of the most important players in the history of the club, as only Xavi, Migueli, and Rexach have made more appearances for the Blaugrana.